Apparatus and method for removing liquid from liquid bearing material

Abstract

An apparatus and method for removing liquid from liquid bearing material are provided, the apparatus comprising a pair of electrode units having portions thereof disposed adjacent each other and defining an inlet to the adjacent portions and an outlet from the adjacent portions, structure for feeding the liquid bearing material into the inlet, structure for moving the liquid bearing material from the inlet to the outlet so that sections of the material serially move from the inlet to the outlet while being disposed between the adjacent portions, structure for vibrating the liquid bearing material between the adjacent portions of the electrode units as the material is moving from the inlet to the outlet whereby a vibratory field arrangement is applied to the material, and structure for creating a voltage between the pair of electrode units so as to create an electrostatic field arrangement between the adjacent portions of the pair of electrode units for acting through the material that is disposed therebetween to remove liquid from that material, the structure for vibrating the liquid bearing material having structure for simultaneously providing different vibratory field actions to different sections of the material that are serially disposed between the inlet and the outlet so that different intensities of the vibratory field arrangement serially act on each section of the material as each section of the material moves from the inlet to the outlet, the structure for vibrating the liquid bearing material comprising at least one of the electrode units.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In an apparatus for removing liquid from liquid bearing material and comprising a pair of electrode means having portions thereof disposed adjacent each other and defining an inlet means to said adjacent portions and an outlet means from said adjacent portions, means for feeding said liquid bearing material into said inlet means, means for moving said liquid bearing material from said inlet means to said outlet means so that sections of said material serially move from said inlet means to said outlet means while being disposed between said adjacent portions, means for vibrating said liquid bearing material between said adjacent portions of said electrode means as said material is moving from said inlet means to said outlet means whereby a vibratory field arrangement is applied to said material, and means for creating a voltage between said pair of electrode means so as to create an electrostatic field arrangement between said adjacent portions of said pair of electrode means for acting through said material that is disposed therebetween to remove liquid from that said material, the improvement wherein said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material has means for simultaneously providing different vibratory field actions to different sections of said material that are serially disposed between said inlet means and said outlet means so that different intensities of said vibratory field arrangement serially act on each said section of said material as each said section of said material moves from said inlet means to said outlet means, said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material comprising at least one of said electrode means. 
     
     
       2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for providing said different vibratory field actions causes the intensities of the vibratory field arrangement that serially act through each said section of said material to increase as each said section of material moves from said inlet means to said outlet means. 
     
     
       3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material comprises a plurality of transducers secured to one of said electrode means. 
     
     
       4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 and comprising means for moving said electrode means so that said adjacent portions thereof serially move in the same direction thereof from said inlet means to said outlet means whereby said sections of said material serially move with said adjacent portions from said inlet means to said outlet means while being disposed between said adjacent portions. 
     
     
       5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein one of said electrode means has a plurality of sections disposed in a serial manner and being electrically insulated from each other whereby each section of said one electrode means is adapted to be moved from said inlet means to said outlet means when that section is defining part of said portion of said one electrode means, said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material comprising transducer means interconnected to each said section of said one of said electrode means. 
     
     
       6. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material comprises both of said electrode means so that two vibratory field actions are respectively and simultaneously applied to each section of said material from opposite sides thereof by said pair of electrode means, said means for simultaneously providing said different vibrating field actions to said different sections of said material being adapted to cause the intensities of the two vibratory field actions that are applied to each said section of said material by both of said electrode means at any one time to be different from each other. 
     
     
       7. In a method for removing liquid from liquid bearing material and comprising the steps of providing a pair of electrode means having portions thereof disposed adjacent each other and defining an inlet means to said adjacent portions and an outlet means from said adjacent portions, feeding said liquid bearing material into said inlet means, moving said liquid bearing material from said inlet means to said outlet means so that sections of said material serially move from said inlet means to said outlet means while being disposed between said adjacent portions, vibrating said liquid bearing material between said adjacent portions of said electrode means as said material is moving from said inlet means to said outlet means with vibrating means whereby a vibratory field arrangement is applied to said material, and creating a voltage between said pair of electrode means so as to create an electrostatic field arrangement between said adjacent portions of said pair of electrode means for acting through said material that is disposed therebetween to remove liquid from said material, the improvement wherein the step of vibrating said liquid bearing material comprises the step of simultaneously providing different vibratory field actions to different sections of said material that are serially disposed between said inlet means and said outlet means so that different intensities of said vibratory field arrangement serially act on each said section of said material as each said section of said material moves from said inlet means to said outlet means, and forming at least one of said electrode means to comprise said vibrating means. 
     
     
       8. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the step of providing different vibratory field actions causes the intensities of the vibratory field arrangement that act through each said section of said material to increase as each said section of material moves from said inlet means to said outlet means. 
     
     
       9. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the step of forming at least one of said electrode means to comprise said vibrating means comprises the step of securing a plurality of transducers to one of said electrode means. 
     
     
       10. A method as set forth in claim 7 and comprising the step of moving said electrode means so that said adjacent portions thereof serially move in the same direction thereof from said inlet means to said outlet means whereby said sections of said material serially move with said adjacent portions from said inlet means to said outlet means while being disposed between said adjacent portions. 
     
     
       11. A method as set forth in claim 10 and including the steps of forming one of said electrode means to have a plurality of sections disposed in a serial manner and be electrically insulated from each other whereby each section of said one of said electrode means is adapted to be moved from said inlet means to said outlet means when that section is defining part of said portion of said one electrode means, and interconnecting transducer means to each said section of said one of said electrode means so as to form said vibrating means. 
     
     
       12. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein the step of vibrating said liquid bearing material comprises the step of vibrating both of said electrode means so that two vibratory field actions are respectively and simultaneously applied to each section of said material from opposite sides thereof by said pair of electrode means, and wherein the step of simultaneously providing said different vibratory field actions to said different sections of said material comprises the step of causing the intensities of the two vibratory field actions that are applied to each said section of said material by both of said electrode means at a certain time to be different from each other. 
     
     
       13. In a method for making an apparatus for removing liquid from liquid bearing material and comprising the steps of forming a pair of electrode means so as to have portions thereof disposed adjacent each other and defining an inlet means to said adjacent portions and an outlet means from said adjacent portions, forming means for feeding said liquid bearing material into said inlet means, forming means for moving said liquid bearing material from said inlet means to said outlet means so that sections of said material serially move from said inlet means to said outlet means while being disposed between said adjacent portions, forming means for vibrating said liquid bearing material between said adjacent portions of said electrode means as said material is moving from said inlet means to said outlet means whereby a vibratory field arrangement is applied to said material, and forming means for creating a voltage between said pair of electrode means so as to create an electrostatic field arrangement between said adjacent portions of said pair of electrode means for acting through said material that is disposed therebetween to remove liquid from that said material, the improvement comprising the steps of forming said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material to have means for simultaneously providing different vibratory field actions to different sections of said material that are serially disposed between said inlet means and said outlet means so that different intensities of said vibratory field arrangement will serially act on each said section of said material as each said section of said material moves from said inlet means to said outlet means, and forming said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material to comprise at least one of said electrode means. 
     
     
       14. A method as set forth in claim 13 and comprising the step of forming said means for providing said different vibratory field actions to be adapted to cause the intensities of the vibratory field arrangement that will serially act through each said section of said material to increase as each said section of material moves from said inlet means to said outlet means. 
     
     
       15. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the step of forming said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material comprises the step of securing a plurality of transducers to one of said electrode means. 
     
     
       16. A method as set forth in claim 13 and including the step of forming means for moving said electrode means so that said adjacent portions thereof will serially move in the same direction thereof from said inlet means to said outlet means whereby said sections of said material will serially move with said adjacent portions from said inlet means to said outlet means while being disposed between said adjacent portions. 
     
     
       17. A method as set forth in claim 16 and including the step of forming one of said electrode means to have a plurality of sections disposed in a serial manner and being electrically insulated from each other whereby each section of said one electrode means is adapted to be moved from said inlet means to said outlet means when that section is defining part of said portion of said one electrode means, the step of forming said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material comprising the step of interconnecting transducer means to each said section of said one of said electrode means. 
     
     
       18. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the step of forming said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material comprises the step of forming both of said electrode means to be adapted to vibrate said liquid bearing material so that two vibratory field actions are respectively and simultaneously adapted to be applied to each section of said material from opposite sides thereof by said pair of electrode means, and wherein the step of forming said means for simultaneously providing said different vibratory field actions to said different sections of said material comprises the step of forming said means to be adapted to cause the intensities of the two vibratory field actions that are to be applied to each said section of said material by both of said electrode means at any one time to be different from each other.